


Kind of a Package Deal

by gydima



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family, Alternate Universe - College/University, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Polyamory, Well-Adjusted Derek Hale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-25
Updated: 2015-11-25
Packaged: 2018-04-30 00:23:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5143496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gydima/pseuds/gydima
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles may be Scott's best friend, but there's no way Scott can assign Stiles a new roommate on his first day as an RA. Besides, Stiles' roommate can't be that bad, no matter how many shirtless push-ups he apparently does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kind of a Package Deal

**Author's Note:**

  * For [katarama](https://archiveofourown.org/users/katarama/gifts).



"Stiles, it's been one day. How could you already want a new roommate?"

Stiles sputters and Scott wipes spit off his face, unworried about subtlety. Stiles is too riled up to notice anyway.

"You haven't seen this guy! He can't possibly be a college student," Stiles says. "In fact, he might have eaten whoever my roommate was supposed to be. He's at least three times more muscular than anyone on the honors floor has any right to be, he called his _mother_ last night and practically gave me a toothache, and when I woke up this morning he was doing push-ups shirtless, Scott. Shirtless!"

There's a pause - expectant on Stiles' end and baffled on Scott's - before Scott finally says, "What's so bad about that?" He used to call his mom and do shirtless push-ups all the time in their dorm room last year.

"Tell me, how am I supposed to survive in a room with a walking wet dream? I mean, last year was okay because you knew about my Stiles time needs. With this guy it's gonna be constant boners! Why did you have to abandon me?"

Scott sighs. Sure, the money and free room and board were the main reasons he'd applied for the RA job, but the torture of sharing a room with Stiles and his constant horniness definitely made the single room appealing, too. He could only resist the urge to pin Stiles down and get him off for so long. He doesn't say that, of course, instead going with, "You know how much begging I had to do to get the RA position on the honors floor? I would hardly call that abandoning you."

Stiles waves it away. "You know, your room is really big. I bet we could fit my bed in there."

Scott shakes his head. "There's no way this guy is as impossible as you're making him sound. What's his name?"

"Derek Hale."

Scott goes to his desk and shuffles through his list of residents, shielding it from Stiles when he tries to peek over Scott's shoulder. The basic details sound fine: Derek Hale is a junior history major, no special accommodations. 

"It doesn't say he's a cannibal here," Scott says, then tenses. "There's no picture of him, though. You'll have to point him out at the floor meeting tonight."

"No picture?" Stiles says. "Why wouldn't there be a picture? Unless he killed my real roommate and hacked into the system to get rid of the damning evidence."

"My profile wouldn't have a picture either, remember?" Scott says, flashing his eyes.

"Oh, shit," Stiles says, eyes widening. "Worried now?"

Scott doesn't say yes, but he can't say no, either.

\----

Scott would have been nervous at the floor meeting regardless, because he wants to make a good impression as a first-time RA. But he's even more on edge now, knowing that his best friend is most likely rooming with an unfamiliar werewolf.

Guys have been trickling into the lobby for a few minutes before Stiles nods toward the door. Scott takes in the guy's dark hair, thick eyebrows and tightly muscled body and sighs. This could be a problem, although not necessarily in the way Stiles feared. 

\----

"So?" Stiles asks, darting to Scott's side as soon as the meeting finishes, regardless of the fact that Derek's still in the lobby, sifting through pamphlets about study hacks, being a good roommate and maintaining a healthy sleep cycle.

Scott pointedly raises his eyebrows in Derek's direction, then toward a couple of guys who seem to be waiting to talk to Scott. 

"Oh, boo," Stiles says, but he throws himself back down into a chair to wait.

Derek's still there when the last couple of guys leave the lobby. He starts toward Scott just as Scott's making a note to talk to maintenance about a faucet that won't stop dripping.

Scott can't help smiling even as Stiles sidles over to the table with the pamphlets and pretends he's not eavesdropping.

"Scott McCall, huh?" Derek says. "Nice to have a name to go with the face."

"You too, Derek Hale," Scott says. "It's good to see you again." 

Scott can hear Stiles make a quiet, offended sound, and from the way Derek's lips twitch, Scott's not the only one. 

"You could have seen me earlier," Derek says.

Scott hangs his head. "Would you believe me if I said I lost your number?" 

"Only one way to find out."

"I lost your number," Scott says, watching Derek cock his head and nod. 

"Truth," Derek says, and they smile at each other dopily until Stiles clears his throat, suddenly at Scott's side.

Scott shakes himself and makes introductions. "Derek, you've already met Stiles. He's been my best friend since we were kids. Stiles, I met Derek at that retreat last summer."

Stiles whips his head back and forth between them. "This is the guy? _This?_ Scotty, why? Why?"

Scott shrugs helplessly, but he's not alone in his embarrassment. Derek's ears are turning adorably red.

There's a long, awkward silence before Stiles says, "Oh my god." Then, "His chest really is hairy in all the right places, though."

Scott facepalms.

\----

Stiles practically pushes Derek back toward their dorm room, saying, "Go away. We need to talk about you where you can't hear." Then he follows Scott back to his room, slams the door and immediately switches on Scott's white noise machine.

"Are you proud of yourself?" Stiles asks. "How am I supposed to live with him now? Not only is he unbelievably hot, but he's a werewolf who slept with my best friend! He's going to be able to smell how horny I am every time he does push-ups. Oh god, he already smelled how horny I am!"

"You get used to the smell," Scott says distractedly, wondering whether Derek could tell how excited Scott was to see him again. Should he be embarrassed about that when Derek seemed just as happy?

"Not the point," Stiles says flopping down on Scott's bed. "Do you think you'll ask him out? Or maybe he'll ask you out? Or was it purely sexual between you? You never told me who put the moves on who during your little wolfy holiday."

"It was pretty mutual," Scott says with an awkward shrug. Stiles has always seemed comfortable talking to Scott about sex, but Scott's felt weirder about it since they started sharing a dorm room and Scott started knowing what Stiles sounds like when he comes, even when he tries to be really quiet. "We were all kind of high on adrenaline, and we'd been running together, and it just happened. It was like gravity or something. It felt natural."

It really had. The moon had had been a heavy burden all fall and spring semester, making Scott feel itchy and restless in the chafing claustrophobia of campus living. Finally being free on the first full moon of summer - paired with the excitement of being with so many other wolves - gave him an almost electric feeling of freedom. He felt weightless as he ran barefoot through the woods. 

Scott hadn't known his name at the time, but Derek had kept pace with him and grinned widely when they met each other's eyes. Then he took off, daring Scott to chase him. When Scott caught him, Derek let Scott wrestle him onto his back, eyes shining blue in the moonlight before Scott kissed him, open-mouthed and fierce. Before Derek spread his legs and let Scott between them. Before Scott opened their jeans and brought them off together, leaves stuck in Derek's hair as he threw his head back and bared his neck for Scott to bite at.

"Dude," Stiles says. "I don't have a super-sniffer, but I'm thinking maybe you need some alone time?" Stiles cocks his head toward Scott's lap, and Scott hits him with a pillow, muffling him when Stiles says, "I could help you with that."

It's not like Stiles means it anyway.

\----

When Stiles sets his tray down next to Scott's in the cafeteria the next morning, Derek's with him.

"Derek and I bonded last night," Stiles announces. "I find his grumpy bunny impression adorable, so I can deal with the rest of his overall--" Stiles waves his hands in Derek's general direction "--flawlessness."

Derek's eyebrows do a confused dance. "He wouldn't let me sleep until I told him my version of our 'meet cute,'" he says, looking like the phrase leaves a bad taste in his mouth.

"You left out some very naughty details, Scotty," Stiles says, and his eyebrows do their own, suggestive dance.

"I didn't give him any details about that!" Derek says.

The earnest look on Derek's face is so cute it warms something in Scott's chest and he can't do anything but grin at Derek.

"Ugh, you guys are gross," Stiles says, a curl of bitterness in his scent as he shoves his chair back from the table. "I'm going to make myself a waffle."

He's gone before Scott can stop him, and Derek watches him go with a mix of confusion and amusement on his face.

"I'm getting some serious mixed signals from that guy," Derek says.

"We've never liked the same person at the same time before," Scott muses, watching Stiles skid to a stop in front of the waffle iron, beating out a girl who'd been making a beeline for it too. "I don't think he knows how to handle it."

"I really hope the person you're talking about is me," Derek says. Hopeful is a good look on him. Then again, everything is probably a good look on him.

Scott laughs. "It's a safe assumption."

"So he doesn't know how to handle it. Do you?" Derek asks.

Scott wishes he had an easy answer, but he's at a loss. "Not yet," he confesses. "We're kind of a package deal. I never want to do anything to put my relationship with Stiles at risk, so I don't know. I'll give it some time, talk to him. See if us dating is something he'd be cool with."

Derek's eyebrows draw together. "Okay," he says, nodding slowly. "Yeah, okay. I've never-- but that sounds like a good idea."

"Cool," Scott says. It's not a perfect solution, but it leaves the door open.

"Cool," Derek agrees.

\----

They keep sitting together in the caf for breakfast and dinner most days, although their lunchtimes don't always line up. On this day they do. 

"What _is_ that?" Stiles asks, poking at something on Derek's tray. 

It's a fair question. Derek has the healthiest diet Scott's seen at college - or possibly in his life - and Stiles apparently can't get over it. Derek always seems to pick the food everyone else in the cafeteria avoids.

"Quinoa salad," Derek says. "I guess I don't have to ask if you're going to be eating pizza at dinner for the fifth night in a row."

Stiles sticks out his tongue, then crams half a hot dog inside his mouth. "I'm a growing boy," he says around a half-chewed mouthful. "Pizza is an essential food group for my growth."

Derek shakes his head but smiles into a truly bland-looking forkful of healthiness.

"If you knew this guy in high school you wouldn't be surprised," Scott says. "Once when his dad was out of town for a week, I swear he ate nothing but pizza and pizza pockets."

"That's a lie!" Stiles says. "I also ate a lot of Froot Loops and ice cream."

"Oh my god," Derek laughs. "How are you still alive?"

"How do you have all those muscles eating that rabbit food?" Stiles shoots back. 

"I have muscles _because_ of the rabbit food."

"And the push-ups," Stiles says. He still gets a little starry-eyed when he talks about that. 

Derek ducks his head, looking back down at his tray. He still blushes a little when Stiles talks about that.

And Scott, he still has no idea what he's going to do about the two of them.

\----

"How is it really, sharing a room with Derek?" Scott asks. Stiles is bent over a physics book in Scott's room, where he'd begged Scott to let him study. ("Derek's on the phone with his little sister now. I want to die," he'd said.)

Stiles taps a highlighter on his notes. "Torture," he says. "Amazing torture. He acts like you would have if you'd been rooming with a stranger instead of me."

"Hey!" Scott says.

"You know what I mean," Stiles says, rolling his eyes. "Extra nice while he gets to know my boundaries. Polite. Quiet. Solicitous. It's disgusting."

"But you're getting along okay, right?" Scott asks. For some reason he cares more about that than knowing whether Stiles would be okay with Scott asking Derek out. He's had tons of chances to ask Stiles about it, but he can't bring himself to. Stiles is definitely still attracted to Derek, and it's obviously becoming more and more about the whole package than how Derek looks in a tank top.

Stiles shrugs, moving on to clicking a pen. "Yeah. I mean, it's still kind of awkward. I keep putting my foot in my mouth and he keeps being way too nice about it. He doesn't get mad when I can't sleep and mess around on my laptop at 3 a.m. I know I keep him up sometimes, but he keeps insisting his special earplugs and eye mask block me out."

Scott smiles softly. Derek is good people. He knew it already, could tell the first time they met, but hearing it from Stiles matters to Scott. Always will.

"Anyway," Stiles says, clearing his throat. "He's a model roommate. I'm glad you didn't let me switch." 

"Yeah," Scott says. "I may be cut out for this RA gig after all." 

\----

They all meet up for a movie a few days later - Stiles' pick - and Scott ends up sitting between them, an alarmingly huge bucket of popcorn in his lap. 

"What are we watching again?" Scott asks, just in time for Stiles to stuff a handful of popcorn in his mouth. He mumbles out something around it, but even Scott isn't fluent enough in Stilesese to decipher it.

"Sci-fi thing," Derek says instead. "Keanu. Not sure about anything else."

Scott shrugs. If it's got Keanu, it's good enough for him.

"You want a taste?" Derek asks, tipping his slushie toward Scott. It's the first time Scott's seen him drink anything besides water or green tea.

"What flavor?" 

"Blueberry."

"I love blueberry!" Scott says, leaning over to take a sip, humming appreciatively. Derek watches him and smiles, and Stiles makes a choking sound.

"You okay, buddy?" Scott asks as soon as he's swallowed. 

"Fine, fine," Stiles says, waving his concern away. "You go on and keep sucking on Derek's straw. Bet it tastes real good."

"You can try some too, if you want," Derek says, but Stiles frowns and grabs another handful of popcorn instead. 

"I have my own drink, thank you," he says with a sniff. Scott knows for a fact that Stiles is already halfway through his soda, but he just shares a look with Derek and grabs some popcorn for himself. Stiles goes through it pretty quickly, so Scott has to get it while he can.

"Can you grab some napkins?" he asks Derek a minute later. His hands are all buttery, and the nearest thing he could wipe them on is his shirt. His mom told him to stop doing that when he was 6, so he figures it's definitely not acceptable at 19. 

"Yeah, be right back," Derek says, putting his drink in the cupholder. "You can have some more if you want."

"Cool, thanks," Scott says. He's smiling when he turns to Stiles, but Stiles is doing that thing he does with his face when he wants to glare but is trying not to. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Stiles says. "Just wondering if you really need me here. This has all the makings of a date, except for the third wheel."

"The movie was your idea," Scott points out. "You're the one who invited me and Derek."

"Well, yeah," Stiles says. "I just didn't think I would feel so...superfluous."

"You're never superfluous," Scott says. "Especially at movies. Who else could do such an impeccable Keanu impression in my ear?" He'd pat Stiles shoulder if it weren't for his buttery hands. 

"Yeah, whatever," Stiles says, but his shoulders relax a little. 

"Now tell me what we're about to watch," Scott says, and Stiles fills the time until Derek returns telling Scott all about the evils Keanu's about to battle.

\----

"Why haven't you asked Derek out yet?" Stiles asks the next day, viciously running Princess Peach off the road and taking the lead.

"I think we're just gonna be friends," Scott says, resigned to last place already. His heart isn't in it. 

"What? Why?" Stiles demands, looking away from the screen and promptly losing his lead. His heart's beating faster. "Was it like full moon mania? You're just not that into him when he's not all wolfy?" 

Scott shrugs. "I know you like him. Bro code."

Stiles flails away his controller. "Oh my god, who cares? Just because I appreciate the guy aesthetically doesn't mean I'm in love with him. I mean, I appreciate that _you're_ a good-looking guy, too, but I'm fine just being your friend."

Scott stares at Stiles for a long moment, wide-eyed, before Stiles seems to notice what he just said - and the fact that his heart said the exact opposite.

"Aww, fuck," Stiles says, dropping back onto the floor and staring at the ceiling. "Can we pretend that didn't just happen? And you can go ask Derek out and everything can be the way it's supposed to be?"

"You don't just want to be friends with me?" Scott asks dumbly.

"So that's a no on ignoring what I said."

"Stiles," Scott prods, touching Stiles' arm until Stiles sighs and looks him in the eye.

"You're my best friend, man," Stiles says. "I just want you to be happy."

"What kind of self-sacrificing crap is that?" Scott asks.

"Says the guy who hasn't asked Derek out because he doesn't want to hurt my feelings," Stiles replies.

"I thought you were jealous of me."

"I was jealous of _both_ of you."

Scott can tell his smile is particularly dopey, but Stiles _wants_ him. He can't not smile.

"Don't smile at me like that," Stiles says. "I hate it when you do that."

"No you don't."

"I really don't," Stiles agrees. "I feel like an idiot, though. I didn't want you to know. Obviously."

"Why not?" Scott asks, honestly baffled.

"You like Derek. Before him you were dating Kira. I don't think anyone likes being hopelessly hung up on their best friend."

"Who said it's hopeless?" Scott asks. 

"Duh," Stiles says. "We've been friends for years, and I've seen the people you've dated. I know what you like, Scott, and it isn't me."

"No, I don't like you," Scott says, and hurries to add, "I _love_ you" before Stiles can get the wrong impression. "I love you," he repeats, heart swelling. He's never loved anyone the way he loves Stiles, so much that he can't imagine any kind of love that would eclipse it.

Stiles squints at him. "Like a brother," he says.

Scott shakes his head. "Not just like that."

"You'll forgive me if I find that hard to believe," Stiles says. "What about all last year when I was wafting my feelings all over our dorm room?"

"You've smelled the same ever since I got turned, man," Scott says, grinning wider. He can't help it. His mind is blown that Stiles has apparently felt this way for years now.

"Argh," Stiles says, burying his face in his hands. "This is so embarrassing."

"Do you want to go on a date with me?" Scott asks.

"Yes," Stiles mumbles into his hands. 

\----

They're at a diner, honest to god sharing a milkshake while Scott tries to coax Stiles into playing footsie, when Stiles suddenly asks, "What about Derek?"

Scott sobers quickly. He hasn't forgotten about Derek, exactly, but it's only been a couple of hours since he found out his best friend loves him. He's kind of riding that high without thinking about much else. Derek's name alone brings a wave of guilt, though; Scott can't imagine looking him in the eye once the guy finds out he's the reason Scott and Stiles are playing footsie and sharing milkshakes.

"I don't know," Scott finally sighs. "I guess we just tell him?"

"God, talk about awkward," Stiles says. "Your little pamphlets probably say sniping your roommate's crush makes you the worst roommate ever. How am I supposed to live with him after this? That's it, you have to let me move into your room."

It doesn't sound unappealing, but unlike Stiles, Scott has never been able to ignore problems in the hopes that they'll go away. He gets too anxious, would rather face things head-on.

"If it's really an issue I could always give you new room assignments," Scott says. He knows Derek won't make it a problem, but it might make Stiles feel better. "Jeremy dropped out of the honors program and moved to another floor."

"I could get a single?" Stiles asks, perking up.

"Derek could get a single. You'd move in with Jeremy's old roommate."

"Oh," Stiles says. "So there's no upside."

"Being my boyfriend isn't an upside?" Scott asks, and holy crap, Stiles is his boyfriend. It's going to take him a while to get over that.

"Well, besides that. Derek's a good roommate. And I like hanging out with him. Do you think he'll still want to be friends?"

"Only one way to find out," Scott says. 

Stiles grimaces.

\----

It's a dead giveaway that something's wrong, Scott thinks, that Stiles knocks on the door to his own dorm room. Derek looks suitably confused when he opens the door.

"Problem?" he asks, staring at the key ring Stiles is holding in the hand that isn't clasping Scott's.

They had a plan, but instead Stiles lifts their joined hands and blurts, "We're boyfriends."

Derek looks back and forth between them. He doesn't look shocked in the least.

"Okay" he says finally, with the air of someone who's humoring them.

"Yup, we just went on a date. We love each other," Stiles continues. 

It's the worst possible time, but Scott smiles. Again, he can't help it! What he doesn't expect is for Derek to smile, too.

"Is this supposed to be new information?" Derek asks.

"What?" Scott asks at the same time Stiles does. 

"You already told me," Derek says slowly. "You, um-- I assumed you two had talked about it. Scott, you said you both liked me but you didn't want to put your relationship at risk by asking me out without talking about it first."

"What?" they say again.

"Do you want to come inside?" Derek asks.

"Yeah, yeah, that'd be good," Stiles says. Scott follows him dazedly when Stiles tugs him in by the hand. They sit down heavily on Stiles' bed, and Stiles' expression is about as confused as Scott feels.

"Derek," Scott finally ventures, "Stiles and I just went on our first date like two hours ago. We weren't in a relationship before."

"But you said..." Derek trails off. "You said you were a package deal. I thought you were going to talk to Stiles about _us three_ becoming a package deal. These last couple of weeks, I thought that was us feeling things out. Eating together, hanging out, going to the movies? Was that not what it was?" 

Derek looks so crestfallen that Scott wants to punch himself in the face. How did he manage to inadvertently make Derek think that?

"Wait," Stiles says. "That's something you'd be into? Dating both of us? All of us dating each other?"

"I mean, I didn't know at first," Derek says. "I've never done anything like that before. But I really liked spending time with both of you together. I could see why you loved each other, and I was even starting to see how I might be able to fit in." He gives a sad little laugh.

Scott looks at Stiles, eyes wide, and Stiles is staring back. The good thing about being friends so long is that they really can communicate without speaking sometimes. Stiles raises his eyebrows. Scott cocks his head hopefully. They both nod.

"No wonder you're an honors student," Scott says, "because you're brilliant." 

"Scotty speaks the truth," Stiles says with an almost frighteningly wide grin. "I like to believe I'm the kind of guy who thinks outside the box, but I never would have thought of this outside my fantasies."

"Do you want to be in a threesome with us?" Scott asks, then cringes. "Wait, that sounds like we just want to have sex with you. A three-way relationship? Does that sound any better?"

"Not really," Stiles says.

"A triad," Derek says quietly.

"A triad?" Scott asks.

"Yeah," Derek says with a shy nod. "I looked it up, when I thought that's what you wanted. Is it? What you want?"

Scott looks to Stiles, and they nod in tandem. 

"I think so," Scott says at the same time Stiles says, "I'm game."

"Oh," Derek says, sounding taken aback, but Scott figures it was kind of wild ride the past five minutes. Eventually the corners of Derek's mouth curl up, and something warm and spicy blooms in his scent. "Okay then. How does this work?"

Scott looks at Stiles, his best friend and so much more since childhood, who he's never so much as kissed. Then he looks at Derek, who he'd slept with before even knowing his name. There's no way it's going to be like any relationship he's ever imagined.

He shrugs and smiles. "I guess we find out together."


End file.
